Dual-fluid dispensing system and apparatus for diesel vehicle

ABSTRACT

A dual-fluid receptacle for a diesel vehicle includes an outer wall disposed on an outer surface of the vehicle. The outer wall defines a diesel receptacle for receiving diesel fuel, a diesel-exhaust receptacle adjacent the diesel receptacle for receiving a diesel-exhaust fluid, and a bridge portion disposed between the diesel and diesel-exhaust receptacles. The receptacles are configured to simultaneously receive the diesel fuel and diesel-exhaust fluid from a single fluid dispensing unit. This allows an operator to fill the vehicle with diesel fuel and diesel-exhaust fluid, simultaneously, from a single fluid dispensing unit. A projection extends from the outer wall proximate to at least one of the two receptacles. The projection is configured to cooperate with an engagement feature of the fluid dispensing unit to selectively enable dispensing of diesel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/721,037filed May 26, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated inits entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to a device for dispensing twodifferent fluids to a vehicle, and a vehicle configured to receive thetwo different fluids. More specifically, this disclosure relates to adispensing device having two separate spouts for two separate fluids tofill two separate tanks in a vehicle. The fluid filling region on thevehicle is specifically configured to interact with the dual-fluiddispensing device.

BACKGROUND

Anyone familiar with refueling their vehicle is also familiar with thecomponents at a fueling station: a gasoline or diesel pump, a fuel lineconnected to the pump, and a handle configured to dispense the fuel intothe vehicle. Both diesel and gasoline pump stations include such aconfiguration.

Diesel engines are commonplace in large commercial trucks. Popularitywith diesel engines is rising in passenger vehicles due to technologicalgains in fuel efficiencies of such engines. But, left untreated, harmfulbyproducts of diesel fuel combustion can emit from these vehicles.

Nitrogen oxide (NO_(x)) can be created during premixing diesel with airand/or during combustion burning of the diesel in the engine. Theharmful effects of NO_(x) emissions are well documented. Diesel exhaustfluid (DEF) is an aqueous urea solution made from a mixture of urea andwater, for example. In many vehicles, urea is used as a consumable inorder to lower NO_(x) concentration in the diesel exhaust emissions fromdiesel engines. This process is known as selective catalytic reduction(SCR). In particular, reacting urea with the NO_(x) byproduct ofcombustion can reduce or eliminate the NO_(x) concentration from theemissions of the vehicle. The urea can be sprayed to mix directly withthe NO_(x) combustion byproduct before the byproduct emits the vehicle.Water, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide is instead emitted based on thereaction of NO_(x) with the urea solution.

Diesel-engine vehicles that utilize a urea mixture to improve emissionshave two separate tanks—one for diesel, one for urea. This obviouslynecessitates filling of two tanks. Current fueling stations are notproperly equipped with mechanisms that enable the operator of thevehicle to safely, quickly and efficiently refuel both tanks. Similarly,there is much room for improvement regarding the vehicle's fuelingregion and its ability to efficiently accept and retain fluids for thetwo tanks.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a dispensing unit for delivering diesel andurea to a vehicle is provided. A diesel spout is configured to deliverdiesel to the vehicle. A urea spout is adjacent the diesel spout andconfigured to deliver urea to the vehicle. The urea spout has a body. Afirst surface feature is disposed between the diesel spout and ureaspout. The first surface feature is configured to interact with a secondsurface feature on a fueling region of the vehicle. A force provided bythe second surface feature onto the first surface causes the urea spoutto slide relative to the diesel spout. A valve is at least partiallydisposed in the urea spout and is biased in a closed position to inhibitdelivery of urea. The valve has a main body disposed in the urea spoutand a member extending from the main body slidably disposed within thebody of the urea spout. The force provided by the second surface featureonto the first surface feature causes the valve to slide from the closedposition to an open position to enable delivery of urea.

In another embodiment, a diesel and exhaust-fluid dispensing unit fordelivering the two fluids to a vehicle is provided. A first spout isconfigured to deliver diesel to the vehicle. The first spout has alength and a guide rail extending along a portion of the length. Asecond spout is configured to deliver diesel-exhaust fluid to thevehicle. The second spout is disposed adjacent to the first spout andhas a guide member extending therefrom and coupled to the guide rail.The guide member is slidable relative to the guide rail enabling thesecond spout to slide relative to the first spout.

In another embodiment, a dual-fluid receptacle for a diesel vehicleincludes an outer wall disposed on an outer surface of the vehicle. Theouter wall defines a diesel receptacle for receiving diesel fuel. Adiesel-exhaust receptacle is adjacent the diesel receptacle forreceiving a diesel-exhaust fluid. A bridge portion is disposed betweenthe diesel and diesel-exhaust receptacles. The receptacles areconfigured to receive the diesel fuel and diesel-exhaust fluid from asingle fluid dispensing unit. A projection extends from the outer wallproximate to at least one of the two receptacles and is configured tocooperate with an engagement feature of the fluid dispensing unit toenable dispensing of diesel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a dual-fluid receptacle of a vehicleand a corresponding external dual-fluid dispensing unit;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1A, with doors opened toallow the receptacles to receive spouts of the dual-fluid dispensingunit;

FIGS. 2A-2C are perspective views of sequential operation of a lever toopen doors in the receptacles and allow the receptacles to receive thespouts of the dual-fluid dispending unit;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the dual-fluid dispensing unit;

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a cross-sectional view of both the dual-fluidreceptacle and the dual-fluid dispensing unit in sequence of insertingthe dispensing unit into the receptacle;

FIG. 5A illustrates another cross-sectional view of both the dual-fluidreceptacle and the dual-fluid dispensing unit, with a valve in one ofthe spouts of the dispensing unit; in FIG. 5A, the valve is closed, andin FIG. 5B the valve is open based on interaction with a projectionextending from the dual-fluid receptacle;

FIG. 6 is a prospective view of the valve of FIGS. 5A-5B;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional fueling device being usedwith the dual-fluid receptacle described herein to show the backwardscompatibility of the dual-fluid receptacle; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional receptacle being usedwith the dual-fluid dispensing device described herein to show thebackwards compatibility of the dual-fluid dispensing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to beunderstood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examplesand other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. Thefigures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggeratedor minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. Asthose of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various featuresillustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures canbe combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures toproduce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described.The combinations of features illustrated provide representativeembodiments for typical applications. Various combinations andmodifications of the features consistent with the teachings of thisdisclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications orimplementations.

The present disclosure provides a system for providing two differentfluids to a vehicle. As will be described in detail below, one singulardispensing unit can provide two different fluids to a fluid receptacleof a vehicle, in which both fluids can travel to respective and separatetanks. This provides an efficient way for a user to fill two tanks whileholding one nozzle handle.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a dual-fluid receptacle 10 of a vehicle thatis sized and configured to receive a dual-fluid dispensing unit 12.Additional detail of the dispensing unit 12 will be described inadditional detail below beginning with FIG. 3. The dual-fluid receptacle10 may be a sub-assembly of various faces, connecting members andstructural supports that provide an integral unit that acts as theentrance for two fluids into the vehicle. The dual-fluid receptacleincludes an outer face 14 that is on the outer body of the vehicle, andcan be covered by a protective door (not illustrated) to protect againstthe elements. The outer face 14 defines a diesel receptacle 16 and aurea receptacle 18 for receiving diesel and urea, respectively, from thedual-fluid dispensing unit 12. The receptacles 16, 18 can be sizeddifferently such that the dual-fluid dispensing unit 12 can only bepositioned into the dual-fluid receptacle 10 in one specificorientation. The receptacles 16, 18 lead to a filler neck in the vehiclewhich houses respective passages for a two separate tanks.

The diesel receptacle 16 has an associated first door 20, and the ureareceptacle 18 has an associated second door 22. The doors 20, 22 coverthe receptacles to inhibit the fluids from spilling out of the vehicleduring travel, to inhibit fumes from escaping, and other benefitssimilar to a conventional gasoline receptacle. As will be described withreference to FIGS. 2A-2C, the doors 20, 22 can be opened and close toselectively provide access to the receptacles 16, 18. In one embodiment,the doors 20, 22 can be opened by a lever 24 mechanically coupled to thedoors 20, 22. Pulling the lever down, as shown in FIG. 1B, slides thedoors open to allow the dispensing unit 12 to enter the receptacles 16,18. The doors can be biased to the closed position by, for example, aspring such that release of the lever 24 closes the doors. In oneexample of use during filling of the tanks, an operator opens the twodoors 20, 22 by pulling the lever 24. The dual-fluid dispensing unit 12can then be inserted into the first and urea receptacles 16, 18. Onceinserted, the operator can release the lever 24, which biases at leastone of the doors against the dispensing unit 12. Once filling of thetanks is complete and the dispensing unit 12 is removed, the doors 20,22 are completely biased closed.

The outer face 12 also has a pin or projection 26 extending therefrom.The projection 26 is constructed to interact with the dispensing unit12. In one embodiment, the projection 26 is molded, stamped, welded, orotherwise integral with the outer face 14 itself. In another embodiment,the projection 26 extends from a bracket or support member inside theouter face 14 and extends through an opening in the outer face 14. Inparticular, the outer face 12 is part of a panel that includes anexterior surface and an interior surface defining a depth therebetweensuch that the projection 26 extends through the depth of the panel.Further description of the structure and function of the projection 26will be described with reference to FIGS. 4-5.

Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, the opening of the doors 20, 22 is shown insequence. The lever of FIG. 1A-1B has been replaced with a differentembodiment of a lever 30, one which pivots about a pivot point ratherthan sliding. Pivoting of the lever 30 opens the doors 20, 22. Inparticular, FIG. 2A shows the doors 20, 22 in their normal, closedpositions. Pivoting of the lever 30 is shown in FIG. 2B, which via amechanical coupling to the doors, slides the doors 20, 22 intorespective slots 32, 34. A full rotation of the lever 30, as shown inFIG. 2C, causes the doors 20, 22 to be fully received within the slots32, 34 and out of the diesel receptacle 16 and urea receptacle 18. Thedoors 20, 22 are in their open position in FIG. 2C, and the dual-fluidreceptacle 10 is read to receive both fluids from the dispensing unit12. Once the lever 30 is released, the lever and connected doors 20, 22are biased to their closed position shown in FIG. 2A.

At least one drain feature 36 is also provided in the urea receptacle18. The drain feature 36 allows any spilled fluids during removal of thedispensing unit 12 to safely travel to the necessary tank in thevehicle. The drain feature 36 is also shown in FIG. 1 as three groovesor slots formed in the urea receptacle 18. Similar drain features canalso be provided for the diesel receptacle.

FIG. 3 shows the front of the dual-fluid dispensing unit 12. Thedispensing unit 12 has two spouts for delivering two different fluids.For example, a diesel spout 50 delivers diesel fuel, and a urea spout 52delivers urea. The spouts 50, 52 can deliver any two different fluidsfor vehicles, such as gasoline, diesel, urea (including urea/water DEFmixtures), oil, etc. For example, ammonia can also be used to reduce theharmful combustion byproducts. Other DEFs can be used instead of urea.References to “diesel” and “urea” are made merely to differentiatestructural features of the receptacle 10 and dispensing unit 12 from oneanother. References to “diesel” and “urea” should not be limited tostructures that are only suitable for dispensing diesel or urea.

The diesel spout 50 and urea spout 52 extend through an opening in anend plate 54 that is slidable relative to the spouts 50, 52. A flexibleboot 56 is connected to the end plate 54 to protect the spouts. As willbe described below, as the dispensing unit 12 is pressed into thedual-fluid receptacle 10, the spouts 50, 52 can slide outward throughthe end plate 54 while the end plate engages a corresponding portion ofthe receptacle 10. As the spouts 50, 52 are pressed further into thedual-fluid receptacle 10, the boot 56 can flex and deform to maintainits arrangement about the spout 50.

The diesel spout 50 has a diesel tube 60, and the urea spout 52 has acorresponding urea tube 62. Both tubes 60, 62 are suitable fordelivering diesel and urea, respectively; but as explained above, thetubes 60, 62 are not limited to only delivering diesel and urea. Bothtubes 60, 62, include respective auto-shutoff valves 64, 66 that inhibitthe flow of fluid based on rising fuel and urea in their respective fillpipes or receptacles 16, 18.

The urea spout 52 is slidable relative to the diesel spout 50. Manyembodiments are contemplated to accomplish such an arrangement. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer surface of the urea tube 62has a guide member 70 extending therefrom. The guide member includes twowings 72 that have concave or bracket-shaped regions configured to fitabout corresponding guide rails 74 that extend from the outer surface ofthe diesel tube 60. The guide rails 74 can be on either side of thediesel spout 50, and extend along the direction of the length of thediesel tube 60. The guide members 70 of the urea spout 52 engage theguide rails 74 and can slide along the length of the guide rails 74.Stoppers (not shown) can be located at the termination of the guiderails 74 to prevent the urea spout 52 from slipping off of the guiderails 74.

A pin-receiving region 80 is also located on the urea spout, preferablyoutboard of the urea tube 62. The pin-receiving region 80 is anengagement feature configured to receive the pin (or projection) 26 ofthe fueling region of the vehicle. The region 80 can be a receptacle,pocket, or opening sized to receive the pin 26. The region 80 can besized precisely to receive the pin 26 snug, or can be sized larger thanthe pin to accommodate for error in positioning the dispensing unit 12with respect to the dual-fluid receptacle 10 when fueling. Being someform of an opening, the region 80 provides access for the pin to contactand engage a stopper unit that will be described in more detail belowregarding FIGS. 4-6. In another embodiment, the region 80 is a flatlanding surface of the pin 26.

Insertion of the dual-fluid dispensing unit 12 into the dual-fluidreceptacle 10 and their relative movement is illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C.In FIG. 4A, the dispensing unit 12 makes initial contact with thedual-fluid receptacle 10. Because the diesel spout 50 extends beyond theurea spout 52, the diesel spout 50 is partially inserted into the dieselreceptacle 16 prior to the urea spout 52 contacting any portion of theurea receptacle 18. This arrangement, along with positioning the dieselspout 50 above the urea spout 52, also assures that no spilled ordripped urea will enter the diesel tank through the diesel receptacle10.

FIG. 4B shows further insertion of the dispensing unit 12, with now boththe diesel spout 50 and urea spout 52 being at least partially insertedwithin the first and urea receptacles 16, 18, respectively. The pin 26has yet to contact the urea spout 52. As such, both spouts 50, 52continue to move in unison into the vehicle.

Full insertion of the dispensing unit 12 is illustrated in FIG. 4C. Thepin 26 is shown contacting the urea spout 52, preferably a pin-receivingregion such as a receptacle as described above. This halts furtherinsertion of the urea spout 52 into the urea receptacle 18. But, due tothe guide members and guide rails explained above, the diesel spout 50is enabled to slide relative to the urea spout 52 and extend furtherinto the first receptacle 16. Due to the deeper insertion of the dieselspout 50, the boot 56 contracts or folds onto itself. A flexible urealine 84 is disposed in the boot 56 and connects the urea tube 62 withthe pumped source of urea. In one embodiment, the urea line 84 spiralsabout the diesel tube 60 (or other diesel line) within the boot 56. Theurea line 84 can be made of rubber, for example. As the boot 56contracts, the flexible urea tube 84 also flexes to conform to theshortened length of the boot 56.

When the dispensing unit 12 is withdrawn, the second door 22 closesfirst, due to the shorter urea spout clearing the door 22 before thediesel spout clears the door 20. This can prevent diesel from drippinginto the urea receptacle 18.

The arrangement of the dual-fluid dispensing unit 12 illustrated inFIGS. 4A-4C can, if desirable, assure that urea must not dispense whenonly diesel may be required. For example, FIG. 4C shows a deep insertionof the diesel spout 50 into the diesel receptacle 16. Structure can beput in place to assure that diesel fuel can be delivered only upon suchdeep insertion. The structure can include sensors, such as location orproximity sensors, that detect the location of the diesel spout 50relative to the diesel receptacle 16. These sensors can communicate witha processor on the pump that is programmed to enable diesel fueldispensing only if the sensor indicates the diesel spout 50 is properlyinserted into the diesel receptacle. In another embodiment, theprocessor will only allow fueling of diesel only if the urea spout 52 isdetected to be positioned within the urea receptacle 18. When the ureaspout 52 is positioned within the urea receptacle 18, the pin 26 opens adelivery passage of urea, assuring that the processor only allowsfueling of diesel when urea is also enabled to flow.

Alternative to this sensory system, a mechanical system can bepreferable. One such mechanical system is a lever design, illustrated inFIGS. 1-2 above. Referring back to those Figures, each door 20, 22 canbe individually spring-biased closed and both can be opened by operationof a lever 24. Release of the lever causes the doors 20, 22 toindividually close if the respective spout 50, 52 is not received withinthe respective receptacle 16, 18 to block the door from closing. Thedispensing unit 12 can be configured to interact with the dual-fluidreceptacle 10 such that diesel can be delivered only when both doors 20,22 are open by the depression of the lever 24.

Instead of the lever design, a capless fuel receptacle can be provided.In the capless system, a spring-loaded door is held closed by latchesthat can only be released by a standard-sized diesel and urea spouts.This eliminates the need for a screw cap to cover the first and/or ureareceptacles 18. When a properly-sized spout is inserted into thereceptacles 16, 18, latches (not shown) release and the spouts 50, 52can push the spring-loaded doors 20, 22 open. The dispensing unit 12 canbe configured to interact with the capless dual-fluid receptacle 10 suchthat diesel can be delivered only when both doors 20, 22 are open. Whenthe dispensing unit 12 is removed, the doors are automatically forcedclosed by the spring.

As mentioned above, both tubes 60, 62, include respective auto-shutoffvalves 64, 66 that inhibit the flow of fluid when the valve is blockedby rising fuel in the vehicle. These valves 64, 66 can be valves thatare known in the diesel and gasoline fueling art. For example, thevalves 64, 66 can include the structure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,142 inwhich a compression spring exerts a force against a diaphragm inresponse to rising fuel levels, removing a vacuum and causing the flowof liquid to cease. Each of the auto-shutoff valves 64, 66 canindividually stop the flow of the fluid through the respective tube 60,62. As described above, the urea tube must be positioned properly withinthe vehicle to enable diesel fuel to flow. So, most fueling scenarioswill call for at least some dispensing of urea to top off the urea tank.Even if only a small amount of urea is needed to fill the urea tank, theauto-shutoff valve 62 will cease the flow of urea based on the risinglevel or splashing of urea in the filler neck.

Referring to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6, additional detail is illustrated witha focus on the movement of a valve within the urea flow path. The ureaflow path, defined within the confines of the urea tube 62, has a valve90 slidably disposed therein. The valve 90 is configured to block orinhibit the flow of urea. In particular, the urea flow path includes avalve seat 92 with a hole therein such that urea flow is directedthrough the hole. When the valve 90 sits in the valve seat 92, fluidflow is blocked. The valve 90 has a stopper or head 94, preferably madeof rubber to conform to the hole in the valve seat and seal the ureaflow opening. The valve 90 is spring-biased, via spring 96, against thehole of the valve seat 92 such that the stopper 94 seals against thehole to inhibit urea flow. The valve 90 is sealed in FIG. 5A.

In FIG. 5B, the valve 90 is opened to enable urea flow. The valve 90 isopened via interaction with the projection 26. In particular, the valve90 includes a main body 100 with a member 102 extending from the body.The member 102 can be of a periscope shape in that it includes anextension 104 extending directly from the main body 100 and a head 106extending from the extension 104. The head can be configured to slidewithin the pin-receiving region 80, described above with reference toFIG. 3. The pin-receiving region 80 can define a pocket or receptacle toreceive the pin 26 of the vehicle's outer surface and also provide aconfinement for the head 106 of the member 102 to slide within. When thepin 26 contacts and presses against a surface 108 of the head 106 duringinsertion of the dispensing unit 12 into the vehicle, the head 106slides within the receptacle of the pin-receiving region 80, whichslides the valve 90 away from the valve seat. This unseals and opens thehole in the valve seat, enabling urea to flow as indicated by arrows110.

In operation, a user inserts the dual-fluid dispensing unit 12 into thedual-fluid receptacle 10. The diesel spout 50 is inserted first, due toits length extending beyond the urea spout 52. During further insertionof the unit 12, the pin 26 contacts the surface 108 of the head 106 ofthe valve 100. This slides the head 106 within a pocket or receptacle inthe pin-receiving region 80, opening the valve 90. Deeper insertion ofthe diesel spout 50 is enabled, as the diesel spout 50 can slide deeperinto the vehicle relative to the urea spout, as explained with referenceto FIGS. 4A-4C. When the user operates the trigger on the dispensingunit 12, both diesel and urea are enabled to flow simultaneously. Thisprovides a preferred embodiment in which urea is only able to flow outof the dispensing unit 12 only if the dispensing unit 12 is properlyengaged with the receptacle 10 with the diesel spout 50 within thediesel receptacle 16.

After fueling, the user withdraws the unit 12 from the vehicle. Thespring 96 biases the valve 90 closed, pushing the stopper 94 against thehole in the valve seat, sealing the urea.

The dual-fluid dispensing unit and corresponding structure on thevehicle provides for compatibility with older models that do not includesuch structure. For example, if a vehicle has the dual-fluid receptacle10 with lever 24 and pin 26, the vehicle can still be filled withconventional fuel spouts that are unlike the dual-fluid dispensing unit12. This is shown in FIG. 7. The diesel receptacle 16 of the dual-fluidreceptacle 10 can be filled by a conventional diesel dispensing unit114. Thereafter, the urea receptacle 18 can be filled by a separateconventional urea dispensing unit (not shown). Since the lever 24 isbiased to the closed position, the operator can hold the lever 24 tokeep the doors 20, 22 open while urea is sent into the correspondingurea tank. The pin 26 is designed so as to not interfere with filling ofeither diesel or urea from conventional dispensing units. The dual-fluidreceptacle 10 is therefore equipped for backwards compatibility.

The dual-fluid dispensing unit 12 is also designed for backwardscompatibility with older vehicles that are not equipped with thedual-fluid receptacle 10. By illustration, FIG. 8 shows the dual-fluiddispensing unit 12 for filling a conventional container 116; similarfilling techniques can apply to conventional vehicles with only onefluid receptacle, such as a conventional diesel receptacle on the bodyof the vehicle. The operator can insert the diesel spout 50 into thecontainer 116 for filling. Urea is inhibited from flowing out of theunit 20 because no pin 26 is provided to open the valve in thecorresponding urea spout 52. As the operator activates the handle tofuel the container 116, urea will not flow. In one embodiment, a promptor button can be available at the fueling station that, upon indicationby the operator, will inhibit the pump from outputting urea from theunit 12.

Embodiments described above teach a pin or projection 26 extending fromthe outer body of the vehicle, and a corresponding pin-receiving region80 to receive the pin 26 and slide the urea spout 52 relative to thediesel spout 50, as well opening the urea valve 90. But, this disclosureis not limited to only that configuration. For example, the pin orprojection can instead be provided on the dispensing unit 12, with acorresponding surface feature (such as a raised or recessed surface) onthe outer body of the vehicle. The pin can extend from the valve 90through the pin-receiving region 80, such that interaction between thepin and the vehicle body forces the valve 90 open. In short, the presentdisclosure is not limited to the pin being located on the vehicle and acorresponding pin-receiving region being located on the dispensing unit.As such, either the pin or a corresponding engagement area for the pinto contact during fueling can be broadly referred to as a surfacefeature.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims.The words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Aspreviously described, the features of various embodiments can becombined to form further embodiments of the invention that may not beexplicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments couldhave been described as providing advantages or being preferred overother embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one ormore desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the artrecognize that one or more features or characteristics can becompromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which dependon the specific application and implementation. These attributes caninclude, but are not limited to cost, strength, durability, life cyclecost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, serviceability,weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. As such, to the extentany embodiments are described as less desirable than other embodimentsor prior art implementations with respect to one or morecharacteristics, these embodiments are not outside the scope of thedisclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual-fluid receptacle for a diesel vehiclecomprising: an outer wall disposed on an outer surface of the vehicle,the outer wall defining a diesel receptacle for receiving diesel fuel, adiesel-exhaust receptacle adjacent the diesel receptacle for receiving adiesel-exhaust fluid, and a bridge portion disposed between the dieseland diesel-exhaust receptacles, wherein the receptacles are configuredto receive the diesel fuel and diesel-exhaust fluid from a single fluiddispensing unit; and a projection extending from the outer wallproximate to at least one of the two receptacles, the projectionconfigured to cooperate with an engagement feature of the fluiddispensing unit to enable dispensing of diesel.
 2. The dual-fluidreceptacle of claim 1, wherein the projection is a pin extending fromthe bridge portion.
 3. The dual-fluid receptacle of claim 1, wherein theouter wall includes an exterior surface and an interior surface defininga depth therebetween, wherein the projection extends through the depthof the outer wall.
 4. The dual-fluid receptacle of claim 1, furthercomprising a first door and a second door that selectively cover atleast a portion of the diesel and diesel-exhaust receptacles,respectively.
 5. The dual-fluid receptacle of claim 4, furthercomprising a lever extending from the outer wall and mechanicallycoupled to the first and second doors such that movement of the levertransitions the first and second doors from a closed position to an openposition.
 6. The dual-fluid receptacle of claim 5, wherein the first andsecond doors are biased to the closed position.
 7. The dual-fluidreceptacle of claim 13, wherein the diesel-exhaust receptacle is coupledto a diesel fuel tank in the vehicle, and the diesel-exhaust receptacleis coupled to a diesel-exhaust fluid tank in the vehicle.
 8. Adual-fluid receptacle for a vehicle configured to utilize diesel fuel,the dual-fluid receptacle comprising: a first inlet configured toreceive diesel fuel and transfer the diesel fuel toward a first tank, asecond inlet adjacent the first inlet and configured to receivediesel-exhaust fluid and transfer the diesel-exhaust fluid toward asecond tank; a bridge portion disposed between the first and secondinlets; and a pin extending outwardly from the bridge, the pinconfigured to cooperate with an engagement feature of a single fluiddispensing unit to enable simultaneous delivery of diesel fuel anddiesel-exhaust fluid from the single fluid dispensing unit.
 9. Thedual-fluid receptacle of claim 8, further comprising an outer walldisposed on an outer surface of the vehicle and at least partiallydefining the first and second inlets, wherein the outer wall includes anouter surface and an inner surface defining a depth therebetween, andthe projection extends through the depth of the outer wall.
 10. Thedual-fluid receptacle of claim 8, further comprising a first door thatselectively covers the first inlet, and a second door that selectivelycovers the second inlet.
 11. The dual-fluid receptacle of claim 10,wherein the first and second inlets are defined by an outer wall of avehicle, the dual-fluid receptacle further comprising a lever extendingfrom the outer wall and mechanically coupled to the first and seconddoors such that movement of the lever transitions the first and seconddoors from a closed position to an open position.
 12. The dual-fluidreceptacle of claim 11, wherein the first and second doors are biased tothe closed position.